The Miami Dolphins’ youth movement was in full swing for the team’s Week 10 win against the Buffalo Bills.
Miami got major contributions from most of the 2025 rookies, and even had some other young players like JuJu Brents, Greg Dulcich and Hayden Rucci play a ton of reps.
We’re not here to talk about those guys, though. The Dolphins’ rookies are the focus of this article, and there are a lot of positive takeaways from the tape.
Disclaimer: RB Ollie Gordon II did not play enough reps to qualify for this review.
Week 9: No Movement
Week 10: No Movement
Grant’s play continues to get more consistent despite it not being overly impactful. The lows that were present in his tape at the beginning of the season have mostly vanished.
The next step is just starting to generate some highs. He got credit for one pressure on a play where he was working a stunt and crashed into Bills guard O’Cyrus Torrence, knocking him off balance.
The Bills barely ran the ball, so there wasn’t a ton to draw from on that side. We haven’t moved Grant’s stock in either direction, but he’s building the baseline for his play. That’s usually the first step before a breakout.
Week 9: Stock Down
Week 10: Stock Down
Given how well Miami ran the ball at times, I was hoping to give Savaiinaea a better review for this game, but I just couldn’t get there. He’s still wildly inconsistent in framing his blocks on outside zone concepts, and he had a few whiffs for good measure.
He allowed another four pressures in this game, too, and Tua Tagovailoa only attempted 21 passes. That’s not a great ratio at all. His pass-rush losses continue to be brutal oversets and overaggressive first-punch strikes, which lead to quick wins for the defensive line.
Savaiianea has gotten a little better this season, but he’s nowhere near where he needs to be if the Dolphins are going to count on him as a long-term starter.
Week 9: Slight Stock Up
Week 10: Stock Up
Jordan Phillips run defense tape got me feeling like the grinch when his heart grew three sizes. pic.twitter.com/X1INXMjVVh
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) November 10, 2025
Phillips had one of his productive games of the season against the Bills. He had three tackles and three run stops, bringing his season total to 13. That’s actually 11th in the NFL among all interior defensive linemen, according to PFF.
The Maryland product’s strength just jumps off the screen every time you watch him. The Bills tried to chip him with climbing offensive linemen a bunch, and Phillips held his ground like a pro.
He’s been the rookie class’ most consistent performer this season, and if he can carry this momentum into the second half of the season, he might finish toward the top of the NFL in some run defense categories.
That’s not a bad place to be for a rookie fifth-round pick.
Week 9: Didn’t qualify
Week 10: Slight Stock Down
This was Marshall’s first extended action since he returned from injured reserve a few weeks ago. He got some run in the slot early in the game and then filled in for JuJu Brents on the outside at times down the stretch.
Marshall looked a bit uncomfortable in zone coverage against Buffalo. He drifted a bit too far and lost his bearings on a few Josh Allen scramble plays in the second half.
His best rep came in man coverage against Keon Coleman, when he blanketed the receiver on a nine route down the left sideline. Marshall also had a PBU where he sank underneath a vertical route from Coleman, but a better route probably would’ve resulted in a touchdown there.
The Dolphins were in two-high, but Buffalo had a tight end occupy the safety on Marshall’s side, leaving him 1-on-1 with Coleman. It was a nice play, but probably not something he should make a habit of.
Week 9: Slight Stock Up
Week 10: Stock Up
Trader played an impressive 63 snaps on defense against the Bills. What continues to stand out is how much responsibility the Dolphins give him each week.
He gets snaps at single high, deep half, in the box, as a linebacker, and in the slot. He’s also someone the team moves around quite a bit post-snap. He did a nice job capping routes in deep zones in Week 10.
There are still some limitations in his game, though. His tackling remains inconsistent — he missed two more this weekend, bringing his total to six for the season. He’s also not the fastest player in the world, which limits his range and man-to-man coverage chops.
Still, his positives far outweigh the negatives at this point.
Week 9: Inactive
Week 10: Stock Up
Sunday was Biggers’ first major action of the season, and the seventh-round pick did a few things worth being excited about.
For starters, it’s clear that Biggers is a potential option in obvious pass-rush situations. He had three pressures against Buffalo, and most of them came from a solid bull rush compressing the pocket.
That said, he’s not a great run defender right now. If the Dolphins play in closer games, I wouldn’t expect to see him get a ton of run. Still, it’s absolutely a win to see a seventh-rounder come out of the gate like Biggers did in Week 10.
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